on 11/30/03 3:13 PM, PUTTER2451@aol.com at PUTTER2451@aol.com wrote:
> When I was just a lad working in the LBS, I learned that the large flange was
> to shorten the distance from hub to rim, allowing for stiffer and more
> responsive wheels than the small flange would create. The small, in turn, was
> to
> give a more forgiving ride. Of course, I believe spokes have become more
> substantial and varied since then so as to be a bigger part of the various
> layouts
> now used. Seems logical to me.
Les,
Unfortunately, that LBS was teaching you myth and not fact. The difference in spoke length between high flange and low flange hubs in a tangentially spoked rim is minimal. If you lace a 36-spoke wheel with a 4-cross pattern, the spoke length required for a hub with a 90 mm flange is 1 mm shorter than the spoke required for a 40 mm flange. Even in this extreme case, the spoke will be about 1/3 % shorter.
Additionally, even the stiffest wheel will deflect only a tiny amount compared to that of a high-pressure tire. All wheels will be the same when it comes to "ride quality."
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com